Practice must be divided in two parts: consolidation and learning. When you learn, you are required to go forward, you are required to perspire. So, understand this aspect in your practice, so that you also develop the intellectual calibre in the pose when you reflect, when you pond over, because you are objectifying your body and your mind when you reflect in the pose. You are not doing, you are observing, when you reflect. And that is your teacher in you, because what does the teacher do, after all? He observes you and tells you: "This is wrong. This is right. Do here. Do there." So you can have your teacher inside you, when you are in a reflective state, because you are observing, you are a witness. When you witness, you know that this point is not done, this point is excessively done, this point is deficiently done; that is how you reveal your own mistakes. And that's how you start learning to learn. Learning to teach, teaching to learn and teaching to teach.
Yoga is a heuristic subject where you are your own teacher, you are your own student. As I said the other day in class, you want your teacher to understand you in the best possible manner. You do not like a teacher who doesn't understand you, who doesn't understand your problems? You immediately discard a teacher who doesn't understand your problems; you want your teacher to understand you. Now, who understands you the best? You know that you understand yourself the best. That's why you always accuse others, "you don't understand me" because you understand yourself. Since you understand yourself, you can have a better teacher inside you, who is all the time with you, who understands in what state you are in, and what your difficulties are.
You all come to the classes, but you can't expect the teacher to know your frame of mind in the class. Maybe somebody is sick in the house, you have to go to the court after the class, you have got some crucial appointment, you have got to meet someone, or some crucial event has happened before the class. You can't expect your teacher to know those things.
But you will try to hide those things when you come to the class. Suppose you have got to meet a lawyer after the class, you won't come and say: "I am tense. I have got to meet a lawyer." You will say: "Let me do the class!" Or somebody sick is in the house. You come in different frames of mind but when we teach, we try to equate you with the others. But when you are on your own you will know in what state you are, in what state you are going to be after the practice, e.g. if you are going to the court and a very crucial judgement is expected. You can understand yourself and you can be a better teacher of yourself than an external teacher. So this is what happens at such a stage.
A beginner doesn't get this benefit. It is only for intermediate, advanced students. Because you know so much, you know Trikonasana, you know Sirsasana, you know Sarvangasana. It is not necessary for your teacher to give you spoon-feed every time, "Do this. Do this." When you know, you can adjust yourself depending upon your situation. So you require a teacher in you. When you are teaching others, you should be qualified to teach yourself and you must be teaching yourself. And therefore, it's a heuristic subject where you are your own teacher, you are your own student.
Many times, we give the class in such a way where you learn to learn. Every time you should not be learning, the teacher should not be teaching. You should learn to learn. You should learn to teach, because you are teaching your own body. You should teach to teach. You should teach to learn. That is a heuristic subject. According to the dictionary, "heuristic" means "one is one's student, one is one's teacher." But then, what does it imply? You have to learn to learn, learn to teach, teach to teach, teach to learn. Think over these four things.
Learn to learn, that is how you have to learn. It is also a process of learning. How do you learn something? Many students read books, they study the books, they are taught in the classes, they are taught in the schools, but still, they cannot learn. The teacher goes on teaching and they still can't learn, because they don't know how to learn a thing. So you should know how to learn: learn to learn.
Then you should also learn to teach, because you are teachers. At least, you are teaching yourself. You should learn to teach, learn how to teach. Then, teach to teach. You should teach also how to teach, what you call "teacher's training program." What is taught there? You are taught to teach, that is "teach to teach." And then, teach to learn. So that's how your practice is to be approached and the classes to be conducted, as a teacher. These things should be made aware to pupils. Don't make the students dependent all the time. You say, they do. You must bring the perceptions to them; they must know what they are doing.
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